EU says to take market stabilisation measure over Russian ban

BRUSSELS, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- The European Commission will come up with market stabilisation measure early next week in response to the Russian ban on agricultural imports from the European Union (EU), EU Commissioner for Agriculture Dacian Ciolos said Thursday.

The European Commission held a first exchange of views with EU Member State experts Thursday morning on the potential impact of the Russian sanctions announced last week, according to an EU official statement.

It was agreed that the situation is the most urgent for certain perishable vegetables hit by the ban, where the season has already begun and a key export market has suddenly disappeared with no immediate prospect of an obvious alternative.

Ciolos said the upcoming measure will target a number of perishable fruit and vegetable products "which are now clearly in difficulty."

"This action will be proportionate and cost effective," he said.

In addition, a reinforced market monitoring mechanism is put in place, Ciolos said, adding that "meetings with Member States will take place on a weekly basis, for a period as long as necessary."

"The Commission still needs to receive the most up-to-date information to fully assess the market situation in most sectors, and therefore called on Member States to provide the latest detailed market data," the Commissioner said.

The European Commission presented a preliminary analysis of the main sectors affected by the Russian ban. A full analysis will be finalized, which will be presented to Member States and the European Parliament in order to facilitate further political discussions on the subject.